Photo: CBS 12
A former Palm Beach County English teacher has been convicted of engaging in unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
37-year-old Damian Conti worked at South Tech Academy in Boynton Beach at the time that he had the relationship with his 16-year-old student. But the jury yesterday found the man not guilty of assisting in the girl's attempted suicide.
Prosecutors say that in addition to having sex with the victim, he helped her try to take her own life, caught on video at a Home Depot carrying a rope that she purchased to hang herself.
A later attempt at suicide was unsuccessful and the girl, now 18, testified against Conti at his trial last week.
Defense attorneys claimed the relationship between Conti and the teen never went beyond sexting and that he actually tried to talk the victim out of attempting to kill herself.
He will be held behind bars until sentencing on August 15th.